Most shop owners are jerks who dont want to pay to have a good certified mechanic. They rather pay some one to throw parts at a car then to actualy pay someone to fix the car the first time right. BUt then there are a few good shops. Oh and do a search of Flat rate. ...and I thought slavery was outlawed in the US. Places like Firestone make you work 60 -70 hour weeks to pay you just 35-45 hours because they dont have work.

Service Manager in Colgate, Wisconsin said: Most shop owners are jerks who dont want to pay to have a good certified mechanic. They rather pay some one to throw parts at a car then to actualy pay someone to fix the car the first time right. BUt then there are a few good shops. Oh and do a search of Flat rate. ...and I thought slavery was outlawed in the US. Places like Firestone make you work 60 -70 hour weeks to pay you just 35-45 hours because they dont have work.

YOU could not have said this BETTER!!! Especially when you get injured on the job.THEN are expected to support a family and after 27 years of being a QUOTE MASTER RECERTIFIED AUTO TECHNICIAN.And still having health concerns.NOW WHAT !!!! The docters tell me I MUST change careers.I have tried to seek help from our WONDERFUL GOVERMENT.Need I say more!NO ONE will help.This is the only career I KNOW! And there is NO such thing as QC any more.

moe20017 in Morrill, Nebraska said: Flatrate is a joke just made to save the manufacture money.done this for 25 years and no other job pays this way why is that?

Flat rate is not bad when you are in your prime.And of course times are resonable.You get paid for the job you do.As the times are cut.And we get older you are right.Then what?NONE of these companies care anymore.They think we are all indesposeable!!!!!!Why is this FAIR?

Service Manager in Colgate, Wisconsin said: Most shop owners are jerks who dont want to pay to have a good certified mechanic. They rather pay some one to throw parts at a car then to actualy pay someone to fix the car the first time right. BUt then there are a few good shops. Oh and do a search of Flat rate. ...and I thought slavery was outlawed in the US. Places like Firestone make you work 60 -70 hour weeks to pay you just 35-45 hours because they dont have work.

I been doing Automotive for 35 years or more it was good in the 70s but the shop today don't pay or care for mechanic or customer that why shops are in trouble, its get the money and if they come good .if not some else is out there . School and Certication is a joke I see kid go to trade shop pay the money and they can't even fix a tire . certification is like Tommy boy the movie its on the wall trusted it L.O.L come back you here. We need your money. not you. There your automotive trade run; Be a banker.

joke joke joke being a 27 year tech and making it to the high end is still a joke..i work on lamborghini spiker bently etc..and i still dont make enough i had to go to italy and boston for training..stupid piece of paper...and wow these ase jerks ruin it for everyone i dont and will never do ase certs what a stupid idea just cause some snot nose kid can go in and take a test dosent mean he can fix a car.why dont they change this crap..its going to take a huge news story to get this changed (ase mechanic kills 20 in bus wreck cause he claimed to know what he was doing news at 10)..well ill tell ya if we ever went on strike we whould bring this country to its knee's.then we whould get respect which we deserve.i wish we had a union, a strong no bullcrap type of place that whould shut down the small scum run places and demand rights for all of us ......revolution.........

An earley post said "good certified mechanic" I just want to make clear the certified does not mean good,it means certified. Good means good. The Lambo tech was talking to me,I was in the gray market and worked on euro spec cars. without any spicific traning. I tried to hire certified mechanic's (Local law)but they could not do the work with out manuals with pictures. sems figureing it out is a lost art.I am recertified Master just cause it is a law in my area. I really hate spending the money on it test cause I make about the same as somebody that can't pass all the test. What is this post all about? I forgot.

Ummm, I make good money flat rate, am more than qualified (ASE and Factory) and think that if you cant even spell or speak correctly, I'm sorry but you're not really someone to be passing judgement on the business. "Figure it out", ??? as opposed to using service information?? Are you freaking kidding? Why dont you put away the points comdensor dwell meter and air bleed screw tool and join us in the new world of ABS/TCS, BCAN, Current based Air Fuel delivery and module COntrolled EVERYTHING!! Sounds to me like you guys are bitching because you havent really kept up, and you miss the "glory days" of uninformed consumers and shadt service writrers. Granted they still exist, but not the way it was. Sorry, but 10 hours to rebuild a c4 tranny is long gone . ANd by the way, if you cant hash it out on a written test, chances are pretty good you dont actually UNDERSTAND it, you just get lucky.

I HAVE BEEN A GM DEALER TECH FOR OVER 23 YEARS I HATE FLAT RATE AND SOMETIMES LOVE IT AS TIME GOES BY YOU GET FASTER AND BETTER BUT AS YOU AGE YOUR BODY AND HANDS TAKE A BEATING AND YOU HURT ALL OVER I ABOUT HAD ENOUGH WITH THIS TRADE BEEN WITH THE UNION GOT PENSION AND THATS ALL NO THANK YOUS NO ATA BOY OR RESPECT FROM THE DEALER ITSELF GOOD TECHS ARE HARD TOO COME BY THERES ALOT OF HACKERS OUT THERE WHO CALL THEMSELVES TECHS IT LOOKS BAD FOR THE HARD HONEST TECHS ASE CERTIFIED AND FACTORY TRAINED STILL ONLY PAPER NO MORE PAY NO BETTER OFF WHY NEED MOTIVATION TOO CARRY ON

Yes, certs do not make a tech great, however all truly great techs are certified in various different accreditation. Flat rate kills hourly pay dollar for dollar, in every aspect (except in a few rare extremes that most flat rate techs love to dwell on( "Grass is always greener on the other side".. well, that's a mental block you can drop or wallow in)). This pay period may be slow, but when I look at the year and see 70K plus.. that isn't happening at an hourly, sorry. And hell, my hourly rate is crap. Slow goes away, always does. So, if you hate your flat rate.. you are either slow, lazy, ill trained, or just lost the motivation to be a tech. All very fixable, it's up to you... its the techs that walk that keep me paid. So, keep up the good work (complaining and living in misery)! Just don't fill my ears with it at the shop (or your co-workers at your shop).. real techs can't stand it and have work to do.

Eric, Right on. I was a Mechanic in your area and also a Mechanical inspector for the extended warranty companies.Just a quick case story. I had a request to check out a V8 diesel at a dealer for possable replacement. So when I got there I asked the 'tech'what was wrong with it ,he said it dosent make any power,I could't test it cuse it was out of the truck and sitting on the ground, they wanted a new engine. (me)=whats wrong with the engine (master Tech)= it dosent make any power, (me) why dosent it make any power,(master tech) it wount pull a trailer up a hill. (me)short end of story I Ok'd a timming gear set.itisaboutus.com

lol.. I was told by a shop foreman once to do a timing chain on this Ford truck.. he said it was misfiring, and he just did the plugs last visit (a day or two earlier, didn't have the problem then).. so it had to be the timing, blah, blah, blah.. before I got started, I pulled the plugs he had just put in, and one had the electrode smashed shut.. he told me to do the timing chain anyway.. I handed him the RO and said "No thanks"

Eric good for you. Sometimes you just must say NO. I just did business with a tech today that was at 1 dealer for 37 years and he was great to work with,his Dealer closed and he was at a new place said it was way differant than his old dealer but will learn the way of the new Dealer,cool no complayning just doin it.

I have a hard time getting into the industry, worked for good people as well as bad people. Granted I am still learning but no one has the time to be patient to grow. I went to school for training, currently certified, but I refused to get certified until I understood the material and the part ofthe system I was working with. Now I have tools and get get into the industry, got time under my belt but need more. It's a hard industry. I like working on cars and light trucks but cant get my foot in the door and wont kiss backside to get in. Any advice?

Being the newbie isn't always the worst,i have hired a few but I don't think I was ever one.. What you lack in experience can be over shadowed with exuberance. But the "wont kiss any butts" part might be in the way. I am not saying be a door mat. But if the people that pay you need long hours or weekends or Hourly pay you might have to give in until you have a track record to refer to. Clean the garage,empty the drain pans, might look like a team player,repairs done right the first time every time will start the change from a no experience guy with a tool box to a valuable mechanic/tech. nobody owes you anything at this point but you sure can get noticed quickly, we want you to be good but most really are just pay check collectors.Earning a pay check is not that easy. go to work at Toyota they have lots of recall work right now,they might need people at least temporary,2 cents worth over and out>>>>

02flh in Howell, Michigan said: Being the newbie isn't always the worst,i have hired a few but I don't think I was ever one.. What you lack in experience can be over shadowed with exuberance. But the "wont kiss any butts" part might be in the way. I am not saying be a door mat. But if the people that pay you need long hours or weekends or Hourly pay you might have to give in until you have a track record to refer to. Clean the garage,empty the drain pans, might look like a team player,repairs done right the first time every time will start the change from a no experience guy with a tool box to a valuable mechanic/tech. nobody owes you anything at this point but you sure can get noticed quickly, we want you to be good but most really are just pay check collectors.Earning a pay check is not that easy. go to work at Toyota they have lots of recall work right now,they might need people at least temporary,2 cents worth over and out>>>>

I have been in this automotive since 2001 when I graduated fro school. I have done the menial, but as a African American here in the Missouri area, there is some that dont care for me when I try to learn. And ven with my experience (most time being over qualified) I have had a young guy get put over me due to the fact of some factory training. Yet I've been with the dealer for 8 mnths prior to his arrival. Then what, and people being so afraid to share knowledge like I am going to take their job. I deal with that as well. I have experience both working for a company and privately.

I am a female that is thinking about going to school for automotive technology. can someone give me any feedback on this subject? is the program hard and will there be fair game when i start working in the real world. thanks.

It is true most Independent shops pay even their certified Techs a very low guarantee and they encourage them to sell,sell,sell In which they receive bonuses. The end result being the customer gets ripped off and the shop owner gets rich and the mechanic is the crook.being ASE Certified realistically means that you were good at passing a test on paper. It by no means Indicates that you are a better Technician just because you have your Certs.Experience is Key in the ever changing automotive Industry.More and More the Industry is trying to eliminate any base pay at all and have you work on straight commission That being said since when did having a SKILL OR A TRADE TURN INTO BEING A SALESMAN WORKING FOR A SALARY/COMMISSION?all I got to say is if you are thinking of going to school to be a Mechanic then make sure you ask the teacher what sales classes you should be taking.

I was tired of all this BS corporate freakin flate rate crap to. However I loved being a technician, so I just went and worked for myself. I have a couple good customers and although I am just starting out in business, they tend to like me cause:

1.I dont overcharge, I dont have much overhead.
2. I am honest, I am little slower, but it dont come back either.
3. I am just an awesome person
4. I show and explain things
5. I believe the quickest way to go out of business is greed greed greed

Look my fellow techncians we are in a business that can never be outsourced. We have jobs for life. However if you work for the Corporate machine, then you will get shafted. i was a mechanic in the Army, been to Honda training, Chrysler training, a Goodyear Training Center, and have written and got published articles about cars. I am not gonna let greedy suites and ties run me out of what I love doing, I am veteran, I am will fight back. Small business is and always will be the backbone of are nation

I'm wanting to be a mechanic when I get out of high school.. I'm a girl and ALOT of guys say I should be in the kitchen but it's funny cause in mechanics class I know more than the guys in that class. I just have one question, how is a mechanics health after working a few years onthe job?

Kerri, I have been a mechanical type guy for ever. started on the farm as a kid moved to Detroit building hot rods of course and after Nam Get paid as a Engineering mechanic/tech,had two private good garages, working general manager of other bigger garages. and the answer to your question about health after a few years on the job is I never had a problem with anything. At 64 the years of daily work outs in the garages I think keep me on my toes. About the cooking My Daughter cooks and owns three houses 2 are paid off and food will always be in style,just sayin.

lespaulguy in Johnston, Rhode Island said: Ummm, I make good money flat rate, am more than qualified (ASE and Factory) and think that if you cant even spell or speak correctly, I'm sorry but you're not really someone to be passing judgement on the business. "Figure it out", ??? as opposed to using service information?? Are you freaking kidding? Why dont you put away the points comdensor dwell meter and air bleed screw tool and join us in the new world of ABS/TCS, BCAN, Current based Air Fuel delivery and module COntrolled EVERYTHING!! Sounds to me like you guys are bitching because you havent really kept up, and you miss the "glory days" of uninformed consumers and shadt service writrers. Granted they still exist, but not the way it was. Sorry, but 10 hours to rebuild a c4 tranny is long gone . ANd by the way, if you cant hash it out on a written test, chances are pretty good you dont actually UNDERSTAND it, you just get lucky.

i,m retired. your correct you have to stay up with the technolegy. i made a good living, these young gun,s fresh out of pushing penciles get a clue! either you can or can,t.ex. factory honda tech.ase master cert! 30yr,s.

Kerri in Yorkton, Saskatchewan said: I'm wanting to be a mechanic when I get out of high school.. I'm a girl and ALOT of guys say I should be in the kitchen but it's funny cause in mechanics class I know more than the guys in that class. I just have one question, how is a mechanics health after working a few years onthe job?

It goes down as you get older im 42 and saving up for knee replacement cant stand up in the morning I wish i would have been a engineer making 250,000 a year working for a place that has benefits.

russathome@surewest.net in Roseville, California said: i,m retired. your correct you have to stay up with the technolegy. i made a good living, these young gun,s fresh out of pushing penciles get a clue! either you can or can,t.ex. factory honda tech.ase master cert! 30yr,s.

i just sold 900.00 0f my snap-on stuff. at least i bought it when money was better. i still have 7700.00 left. nothing is now leaving my collection.to all you veteran technicians, god bless. russ schaefer 11/29/2011